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The Potato Plant

1.Blossoms - potato blossoms are five-lobed, 2-3 cm in
diameter varying in color from white to deep bluish purple.
They resemble those of the related, and poisonous nightshade
plant.

2.Seedballs - flowering varieties produce seedballs which are
poisonous. Since the hundreds of tiny seeds in each ball may
vary genetically and unpredictably from the parent plant,
agriculture through the planting of the seed remains too risky
for commercial application. Seed is used, however, for the
investigational production of new varieties.

3.Potato - the potato itself is actually a tuber which forms as theswollen
end of an underground stem. Its skin varies in color
from light brown to purple and the inside flesh varies from
white to purple in different varieties. The buds of aborted
leaves form the "eyes" of the potato. It is by planting chunks of
the potato containing these eyes that genetically identical
potato plants are grown.-Source=potato expo

Purchase and Preparation* What NOT to buy - Don't buy potatoes that are soft or that haveexcessive
cuts, cracks, bruises, discoloration or decay. Also, avoid green potatoes;
they have been exposed to light which means they are coming out of dormancy.
If you buy green potatoes, simply pare awaythe green portion, which sometimes
can be bitter.

* How to store potatoes - Store potatoes in a cool, dark place. They
store very well at about 50 degrees but they should not be refrigerated
because temperatures cooler than 45 converts potato starch to sugar, which
changes the taste and causes the potatoes to darken when they're fried.

* Keep the skin - Cook with the skin on as much as possible to preserve
all of the potato's abundant nutrition.

* Keep the water - Save the water used to steam or boil potatoes because
some of the nutrients leached into it. Use the water for gravy or tomoisten
mashed potatoes. Boiled potato chunks release some of their starch in the
water, which can be used for break making.

* Frying - The high solids content of Idaho potatoes decreases oil absorption,
which means you get crispier potatoes. High solids also result in less
shrinkage when friend, so you get more to serve and eat. Also, previously
steamed or baked potatoes only need to be heated and browned, so frying
at a high temperature helps minimize sticking.

* Baking - Potatoes are done when a fork easily slip in and out. If
microwaving, poke a few holes into the skin with a fork, and place

them about an inch apart. Turn potatoes once during cooking.

* Abomination! - Never bake Idaho potatoes in aluminum foil. Foil sealsin
the moisture and steams the potato, making the texture pasty instead of
dry and fluffy. Aluminum foil can be applied after baking, however, to
hold the serving temperature longer.

* Skewers - If you use skewers to hasten the baking time of large potatoes,
heat the skewers first. This seals the potato and prevents the center from
turning dark.

* Becoming a connoisseur - You can tell an Idaho potato connoisseur
because he or she will never open a baked potato with a knife. Instead,
the connoisseur will poke a zigzag pattern into the top of the potato with
a fork, then will press the ends of the potato together to open and "blossom"
the potato. The connoisseur recognizesthat the blade of a knife flattens
the surface and alters the premiumfluffy texture of the properly prepared
Idaho potato.-source Idaho Potato Commision

Potato is the fourth most important food crop in the world after
wheat, rice, and maize. Potato production represents roughly half of the
world's annual output of all roots and tubers. Since the early 1960's,
the percentage increase in area planted in developing countries has been
higher than for any other major food crop. Production increases have been
second only to wheat.

Potato originated in the highlands of South America, most likely
in the area now bordering Lake Titicaca. The Spanish introduced it in Europe
in the 16th century as a botanical curiosity rather than a source of food.

Annual world production currently totals 275 million tons and
covers 18 million hectares. The Russian Federation ranks as the world's
largest producer, followed closely by China. Together, the Russian Federation
and Poland account for 28 percent of the world's total planted area; China
and India account for a additional 22 percent.

Currently, the potato sector worldwide is in transition. Europe
and the former Soviet Union account for the bulk of production, but this
situation is changing rapidly. In the early 1990's, some 30 percent of
the global potato output was produced in developing countries, up from
11 percent in the early 1960s. If this trend continues, most of the world's
potatoes will be harvested in Asia, Africa, or Latin America in less than
a generation. As a result, potato is becoming an increasingly important
source of food, rural employment and income for the growing populations
in these regions.

POTATO IN THE WORLD DIET

More than a billion people worldwide eat potato. The crop also represents
an important part of the diet of more than half a billion consumers in
developing countries. Although European per capita consumption has declined
over the past three decades, Europe is still the largest per capita consumer,
followed by North America and Latin America. According to FAO, per capita
consumption during 1991-92 averaged as follows: Western Europe (79.3 kg),
Eastern Europe (80.3 kg), USA (58.4 kg). For the developing world during
this period, consumption averaged 11.7 kg in Asia, 8.0 kg in Africa, and
20.6 kg in Latin America.

Read about the rest of the story in "Potato Facts". Potato Facts
provides a compendium of key figures and analysis for 30 important potato-producing
countries. It is available, free of charge in English, Spanish or French,
from the Distribution Office of the International Potato Center (CIP):